It's All My Fault-A Ghostbusters story
by BlueMoon4657
Summary: While on a bust, Ray gets injured and is rushed to the hospital. Egon feels extremely guilty and responsible and feels he's a danger to the team. Will Ray wake up and will Egon let go of the guilt tugging on his heart?
1. The Fire

Chapter 1-The Fire

It was another day for the Ghostbusters as they were out on another call. There was a fiery Class 5 causing disturbance a small hotel being renovated. It was a little difficult, but the guys were able to catch it.

"Finally!" Dr. Peter Venkman exclaimed as he held up the trap.

Winston Zeddemore quickly sniffed that air and said, "Guys, do you smell smoke?"

"Now that you mention it..." Dr. Egon Spengler said.

"Uh oh." Dr. Ray Stantz said, "That ghost must've set some wood on fire!"

Sure enough, the smoke alarms went off, signaling that there was a fire in the building, and flames were raging from the top and middle floor.

"We gotta get out of here!" Peter exclaimed.

"Peter, you go first since you have the trap." Winston said, "We can't have the trap fried and having to catch the ghost again."

Peter, Ray, Winston, and Egon all quickly rushed downstairs, dodging flames and falling debris. But on the 3rd floor, Egon's leg got caught and was stuck.

"Guys, help me!" Egon exclaimed as he tried calling for the guys, but they were nowhere to be found. He tried calling them on his walkie-talkie, but the flames had fried it a bit.

Meanwhile outside, Peter, Ray, and Winston managed to get out.

"Wait, where's Egon?" Winston said.

"I...I don't know!" Peter said panicky.

"Oh no! Please tell me he didn't get stuck!" Ray exclaimed as he rushed back into the building for his friend.

"Ray, it's too dangerous!" Winston exclaimed calling to him.

"I gotta go get Egon" Ray exclaimed as he rushed into the burning building for his trapped best friend.

"Egon! Egon! Can you hear me?! Where are you?!" Ray called out.

"Ray!" Egon's voice called out from the floor above. Ray quickly rushed onto the third floor, and found Egon trying pulling his leg out from in between some fallen boards. The leg of his jumpsuit was also caught on some nails.

"Ray, you came back to rescue me?" Egon said as he kept trying to free his leg.

"Of course I did!" Ray exclaimed, "I would never leave my BFF in a burning building unless you deserved it!"

Egons smirked and rolled his eyes. Ray quickly removed the boards off of Egon's leg and struggled to free Egon's jumpsuit from the nails. After a few minutes, Egon was free. The two quickly made their way downstairs to meet Peter and Winston outside. But on the second floor, a part of the ceiling fell down and Ray got caught. Egon quickly tried helping Ray up, but the boards were too heavy.

"Egon, go!" Ray exclaimed.

"What? No! I'm not leaving you!" Egon said.

"GO! I'll be fine!" Ray said while trying to free his leg.

Egon hesitantly turned around and ran out, not wanting to leave his friend. He quickly bursted out the door.

"Egon!" Peter exclaimed, "You're ok!"

"Where's Ray?" Winston asked.

"He got stuck, but he told me to go." Egon replied.

"Oh no." Winston said as he rushed toward the building. But then the few top floors and the fourth floor exploded.

"NO!" Peter exclaimed, fearing that that blast killed Ray. He, Winston, and Egon all waited nervously to see if Ray made it out. Then a limping figure walked toward the doorway, and Ray stepped out, but he was covered in ashes and soot. And there were a few burns on him. Ray then coughed harshly and collapsed to the ground.

"Ray!" Winston yelled as he rushed over to his friend. Egon stood back in shock, not knowing what to do.

"Call 911 now!" Egon yelled, in fear for his best friend.

A few minutes later, a fire truck and an ambulance came to the still burning building. Fireman got out and began trying to put out the blaze. Paramedics quickly rushed over to where Winston was with Ray and began treating him. They quickly loaded Ray on a gurney and drove him to the hospital. Meanwhile, Peter and Winston were talking to some officers, explaining what happened.

Meanwhile, Egon stood back, out of the way of the crowds and still in shock, not knowing what to do. He was in fear for his best friend's life.

"Egon? Egon!" Peter said, trying to get Egon's attention.

"Oh, what?" Egon asked, snapping back to reality.

"Come on, let's go to the hospital to see how Ray's doing and to see if you're ok." Winston said.

Egon didn't argue with his colleagues as he got into the car. Winston had called the firehall to tell Janine, Kylie, and Jenny what had happened. Jenny was freaked out at what had happened to her boyfriend. The three women quickly got into a cab and drove to the hospital. Meanwhile at the hospital, the three Ghostbusters, Janine, Kylie, and Jenny all waited on an update for their friend.

"Peter, stop pacing." Janine said, "You're freaking me out and it's not going to help Ray."

"What else can I do?!" Peter exclaimed.

Egon had been silent the entire time. He hadn't said a word and nobody tried to cause they didn't want to get on his bad side right now. And the guys knew better than to get on Egon's bad side.

"Excuse me?" a tall, male, doctor said as he came forward. "I'm Dr. Madison. Are you associated with Dr. Raymond Stantz?"

"Yes." Jenny said, "How is he?"

"Thankfully, his injuries aren't severe. He has a few first degree burns, and one second degree burn, but nothing too serious. But he's suffering from smoke inhalation and is on oxygen. His right ankle is also twisted and has a minor concussion."

"Can we see him?" Peter asked.

"Only for a few minutes." Dr. Madison replied.

The three Ghostbusters, Janine, Kylie, and Jenny were led down a hall to the room where Ray had been admitted to. Dr. Madison opened the door and the Ghostbusters went in. Ray was lying very still. Bandages were wrapped around the burns and his head. An oxygen mask was over Ray's mouth and nose to help him breathe.

Egon was in shock. He had never seen his best friend like this before, but he had been in that condition before. All of a sudden, everything went black.

* * *

"...Egon?" Peter's voice faintly called out.

"Egon? You ok man?" said Winston.

Egon opened his eyes to find Peter, Winston, and the others standing above him.

"You ok Dr. Spengler?" Dr. Madison asked.

"Yeah." Egon replied sitting up, "Why am I on the floor?"

"You passed out." Winston said, "You were just standing there, and then you collapsed."

"Apparently, you passed out from shock." Dr. Madison said, "Thankfully, you were out for only a few minutes."

"Sorry." Egon said rubbing his head.

"It's ok." Janine said, "We know that was hard for you."

"How about we go back to the firehall now." Peter said.

"Ok." Egon said standing up. The guys helped him up as he was still dizzy.

As the group made their way to the car, they had a bit of a sick feeling. But Egon was the one who felt it the most. Not from passing out, but from something else.

To be continued...


	2. Feeling Guilty

Chapter 2-Feeling Guilty

On the way back to the firehall, the Ghostbusters sat in silence. Janine, Kylie, and Jenny had all gone home. No one said anything during the ride as they were in a bit of shock and worried for Ray. He had never gotten seriously hurt and gone into a coma before. But Egon knew the feelings of a coma all too well. He had been in several before. And they were not fun, and he didn't like to think about it.

"Any of y'all hungry?" Peter asked, "I'm starving."

"Yeah, I guess I could for some food." replied Winston.

"Egon, how about you?" Peter asked.

"No. I'm not hungry." Egon replied a little coldly.

"Are you sure?" Winston asked.

"Yes." Egon said a little snippily.

"Ok, just asking." Peter said. He knew better than to get on Egon's bad side.

The three then stopped a local Chinese restaurant. Egon stayed in the car as he didn't want anything. He kept thinking. He kept feeling a sick feeling, but it wasn't from passing out at the hospital or the car ride. It was something else, but he didn't know what. Just then, Peter and Winston came back to the car with the food.

The three then headed back to the firehall and doled out the food. However, Peter and Winston didn't eat much, while Egon didn't eat a thing.

"That's weird. I said I was hungry, but I haven't eaten much." Peter said, putting his chopsticks down.

"Nor am I." Winston said, "Egon, are you sure you don't-"

"No." Egon snapped.

"Ok, ok. Just asking man." Winston said, not wanting to make Egon mad or go ballistic.

"Let's see if there's anything good on TV." suggested Peter.

The guys went into the rec room and turned on the TV. However, a newscast was on, telling about the fire and Ray being in the hospital. Egon's heart began pounding really fast and hard. Peter kept surfing through channels only to find the same news. Even though there was no video of the incident, Egon kept playing the scene over and over. All he could see was the piece of ceiling falling on Ray and trapping him. Not to mention the word "GO!" Ray had shouted while trying to get free. Egon felt like he was gonna cry.

Finally, Egon couldn't take. "I have some work to get done." he said as he got up and went into the lab. He closed the door behind him. He took a deep breath while trying to calm down. But it was hard.

After a few hours, Egon decided to call it a night. So did Peter and Winston as they were heading into the bedroom. Later on, Peter and Winston were able to sleep, but Egon had the opposite. All he did was toss and turn. And it didn't help that every time he tried to sleep, all the distraught Ghostbuster could see were boards falling on Ray's leg, and the last thing Ray said was "GO!".

After waking up from the horrible memory for probably the millionth time, Egon sat up really fast and hyperventilated a little bit before calming down. Cold sweat dropped from Egon's face. He then got up and went into the bathroom.

Egon splashed some cold water on his face and tried to calm down. He then got the sick feeling again, but he knew what it was. He then realized something.

It was HIS fault Ray was in the hospital. If he hadn't been so clumsy, careless, and stupid and watched where he was going, Ray wouldn't be in this mess. The sick feeling Egon kept feeling was guilt. Egon then realized that he was a danger to the team. He had hurt Ray.

Egon felt like he was gonna cry. He had hurt his own teammate and could likely do the same to Peter and Winston. He was a danger to the team.

 _"What have I done?"_ Egon asked himself, while looking straight into his own eyes. _"What have I done?"_

To be continued...


	3. Holding Back Emotions

Chapter 3-Holding Back Emotions

After a few more hours of tossing and turning in his sleep, Egon gave up. He went into the lab to see if he could take his mind off of the guilt tugging on his heartstrings. Looking at the clock, he saw that it was 4:30 am. Egon began going over some notes he and Ray were working on. After a few hours, there was a knock on the door.

"Hey man." Winston said as he poked his head in.

"Hey. I couldn't sleep, so I thought I'd go over some notes Ray was working on." Egon replied.

"It's ok. I know you're worried about Ray too, but he'll wake up. We'll just let him rest for a while." Winston said, "Anyway, I'm going out for a run. I'll be back in an hour or two."

"Ok. Be safe." Egon said.

"Don't worry, I will." Winston said with a smirk.

* * *

About an hour or two later, Winston returned to the firehall and Peter woke up. Egon was still in the lab, looking over some notes he and Ray had been working on. It was actually helping him take his mind off of Ray. Peter and Winston sat down for breakfast.

"Hey Egon, want to eat a little something?" Peter asked as Egon walked in.

"No thanks." Egon said as he poured himself a cup of coffee.

"You sure?" Winston asked.

"Yes, I'm sure." Egon said a little curtly.

"Ok, just asking." Winston said.

"I'm gonna go get some more work done." Egon said.

"Ok, but don't get too focused on work." Peter said, "We're gonna head to the hospital to visit Ray soon."

Egon began to feel a tightness in his stomach. "I...I have to go." he said as he walked out of the kitchen.

Peter and Winston both took accounts of Egon's behavior. He could be a little snippy from time to time, but he never usually replied curtly unless he was annoyed. Just then, Janine, Jenny, and Kylie came upstairs.

"Morning guys." Janine said.

"Anything?" Jenny asked.

"No, no calls, or messages from the hospital." Winston replied.

"Ok." Kylie said.

"Y'all eaten yet?" Peter asked.

"Yeah, but thanks for asking." Janine said.

Just then, Egon walked into the kitchen.

"Hey Egon, how are you feeling?" Janine asked.

"Fine, I guess." Egon replied. But the truth was he wasn't. He was angry, but at himself, and was guilt-ridden. But he didn't say anything to the guys cause he didn't want them to get into it. As much as Egon loved Peter, Ray, and Winston, they sometimes weren't very mature. And they could be a little nosy, especially Peter.

"We're about to head to the hospital." Peter said as he stood up, "You wanna come?"

"No, I want to get some stuff done for Ray so he doesn't have much to do when he comes home." Egon replied.

"Are you-?" Winston started.

"Yes, I'm sure." Egon replied a little coldly, "You don't need to ask that every time Winston."

"I'm just-" Winston said, but Egon gave him a look like "Don't even say it. I know".

Egon then exited the kitchen.

Peter, Winston, and the women all got into Ecto-1 and drove to the hospital. There, they learned that there had been no changes in Ray's condition. They each took turns going in and sitting with Ray. They talked to him, hoping that he would wake up, but nothing. Jenny was a little harder to convince to leave, as Ray was her boyfriend.

After visiting hours were over, the 5 headed back to the firehall.

* * *

Meanwhile, Egon had been working in the lab all day. Soon, the lack of sleep caught up to him. He closed his eyes for a few minutes. However, as soon as he closed his eyes, the memory of Ray getting trapped and the building exploding played out in his mind. Egon then woke up with a start. He then heard a car door shutting. He knew it was the guys.

"Hey guys." Egon said as he walked downstairs.

"Hey Spengs." Peter said, "Unfortunately, no changes in Ray's condition. We sat with him all day hoping he would wake up, but no."

"Oh." Egon said.

"But he'll get better." Winston said.

"Y'all want some of the leftover Chinese takeout?" Peter asked.

"Sure." Janine replied.

"I guess I could use a little food." Jenny said.

"Why not?" Kylie replied.

They then went upstairs and heated up the leftovers. Winston then helped spoon out the food onto some plates.

"Hey Egon, want any of this?" Janine asked as Egon walked in.

"No thanks. I'm not very hungry." Egon replied.

"Egon, are you feeling ok?" Peter asked, "You haven't eaten anything since yesterday and-"

"I'm fine Peter." Egon snapped, "And no means no." he added a little coldly. He then exited the kitchen and went into the lab.

"That was weird." Jenny said.

"Yeah, Egon doesn't normally talk like that." Kylie added.

"Peter, what do you think?" asked Winston.

"Guys, I may be a psychologist, but Egon is a complicated being to understand." Peter said. "Most of the time, I don't even know what emotion he's expressing. Or feeling. Sometimes, I don't even know if he has feelings."

Egon had secretly over heard, and the remark hurt him a little bit. _"I do have feelings."_ Egon said in his mind, " _I'm just not good at expressing them. And I shouldn't be judged by that. And I can't help it that I'm complicated."  
_  
Egon went back into the lab. It was getting harder and harder to hold back the guilt and emotions he was holding back. Guilt was tugging on his heart. He did want to see Ray badly, but he didn't have the courage to. Plus, Ray probably wouldn't want to see him after what he did.

Egon felt like crying. He didn't even remember the last time he cried. It was getting harder and harder to ignore the guilt that weighed heavily on his conscious and heart.

To be continued...


	4. Strange Behavior

Chapter 4-Strange Behavior

The next morning, the women arrived at the firehall to meet the guys to go to the hospital to visit Ray. Janine brought a box of doughnuts, and they all had one. Everyone except for Egon, that is.

"Hey Egon, we're going to visit Ray." Winston called, "Are sure you don't want to come?"

There was no answer.

"Last call." Peter said.

Still no answer.

"Alright." Janine said as they got into the car.

Little did they know, Egon had been up all night working in the lab. He didn't want to go to sleep, as the memory of Ray getting trapped played out in his mind every time he closed his eyes. Plus, his mental resolve was beginning to break. He was't sure how much longer he'd be able to hold it back. And the weight on his heart was getting heavier.

* * *

The guys then arrived at the hospital. Again, there were no changes in Ray's condition. However, the smoke Ray had inhaled was cleared out, and he was on a nasal tube now, but not waking up. After a few hours, Jenny was sitting with Ray, and Peter, Winston, and Janine were sitting in the waiting room.

"I wish Egon was here." Janine said.

"Yeah, but he's not." Peter said rolling his eyes.

"Peter, don't be annoyed with him." Winston said, "This is probably a little hard for him, so he might not want to come for a day."

"It's been two days Winston." Peter said, "It's been long enough."

"Just don't say anything about it to him or antagonize him." Winston said.

After a few more hours, visiting hours were over, and they all headed back to the firehall.

* * *

When the Ghostbusters, Janine, Jenny, and Kylie pulled into the firehall, they found Egon standing by Janine's desk looking over some papers. It looked like that he had changed clothes and showered, as his hair was brushed, and there was no "shadow" on his face. But his eyes looked tired, along with dark circles under them. So Egon looked fine, but at the same time, not so fine.

"Hey Egon, we're back." Janine said.

"Oh hey." Egon said with a slight yawn in his voice.

"Man, what happened Spengs?" Peter asked, "Did something blow up?"

"For your information, I've only been doing paperwork, not experiments, you idiot!" Egon snapped.

"Ok, ok, calm down Spengs." Peter said, a little shocked by Egon's sudden burst of aggression.

"Sorry, I haven't been sleeping well." Egon said with a yawn.

Winston was about to say something about him not getting any sleep, but he didn't want to face Egon's death glare, which was pretty scary and intimidating.

"Hello? Anyone here?" said a female voice.

They turned to see Dana Barrett walk in. Peter went up and hugged her.

"Hey Dana." Peter said, "Where's Oscar?"

"Oscar's having a sleepover with one of his friends. And with Ray being hurt and all, I thought I'd drop by with a homemade meal." Dana said and signaling to the bag hanging off her arm.

"Is that spaghetti I smell?" Peter asked.

"Yes, along with a salad and a baguette loaf." Dana added.

"That was sweet of you Dana. Thank you." Jenny said.

"How are you holding up Jenny?" asked Dana.

"I'm doing fine. I'm just waiting for Ray to wake up." Jenny replied.

"We all do." Winston said, putting his hand on Jenny's shoulder.

"Come on, let's go eat." Peter said.

"Y'all go ahead. I'm not very hungry." Egon said.

"Come on man. You need to eat something." Winston persisted.

Egon decided not to argue. So the three Ghostbusters, Janine, Jenny, Kylie, and Dana all headed upstairs to enjoy a nice meal.

* * *

Upstairs, Winston got out the plates, and Janine set the table. They then doled out the food. Before eating, Winston lead a prayer for Ray to get better and wake up soon. However during the prayer, Egon felt like someone had just punched him in the stomach. It was getting harder and harder to hold back the emotions he felt.

"Peter, slow down." Winston said.

"I can't help it." Peter said with his mouth full, "It's really good."

"And don't talk with your mouth full." Janine added.

Peter didn't answer as he took another bite, but it was hot, and when it touched Peter's tongue, he yelled "HOT!"

Everyone laughed as Peter chugged down his water to cool his mouth. Everyone except for Egon, who seemed to be in another world.

"Oh, remember the time we were at that Italian restaurant, and these three Class 2's dumped those meals all over us?" Winston asked.

"Oh yeah." Janine replied, "You guys smelled like garlic and pasta sauce for a week."

Everyone, except for Egon, laughed again.

Egon was trying to keep his mental resolve under control. But then everyone began talking about Ray. The weight on his heart was growing heavier, and he was trying not to cry in front of his friends.

 _"Calm down Egon, calm down."_ Egon told himself in his mind.

 _"I can't! I don't know if I can keep this under control any longer."_ his brain replied.

 _"Just control it."_ He told himself again.

"Egon?" Peter asked.

 _"I can't! It's getting harder to ignore."_ Egon's brain fought back.

"Egon?" Peter asked again.

"WHAT?!" Egon yelled. "WHAT DO YOU WANT PETER?!"

"Whoa, Egon calm down." Peter said, trying not to antagonize his friend. "I was just trying to see if you were ok."

"I'm fine, thank you very much." Egon replied coldly and while gritting his teeth.

"Ok, I was just-" Peter started.

"If this is another one of your stupid questions, shut up." Egon snapped while glaring at Peter.

"Whoa Egon. You don't need to get that aggressive." Winston said. Egon turned in his direction and glared at him.

"Egon, what's wrong?" Peter asked, "You haven't been yourself lately."

"Nothing Venkman." Egon said coldly, "And stay out of my business, you nosy idiot!"

Peter was a little hurt by the remark. "Ok, I was just trying to help you."

Egon felt his mental resolve was gonna break. He then excused himself and went up onto the roof. Egon felt terrible. He had just yelled at his friend, called him an idiot (which Peter was most of the time), and he had given Peter and Winston a little bit of his death glare. Not to mention there was still guilt weighing heavily on his heart.

Egon tried his best to keep his mental resolve under control, but his brain had been right. He couldn't keep it under control much longer. Holding it back was giving him massive headaches and sick feelings. Egon rubbed his eyes. He then took out an old photo he had been keeping in his pocket. It was a picture of him and Ray when they were in college. Looking at the photo, Egon felt pain in his heart. He had hurt Ray, he had insulted Peter, he yelled at his friends. He felt like he was danger to the team.

 _"Maybe my father was right after all."_ Egon thought, _"Maybe the only thing I am...is a mistake."  
_  
To be continued...


	5. Pain and Guilt

Chapter 5-Pain and Guilt

Everyone at the table was still shocked over by Egon's sudden bursts of aggression towards Peter and Winston. Egon almost never yelled at them, or say mean things to them. Well, if he was mad enough, then yes. But other than that, no.

"Ok, I know we're all worried about Ray, but we're getting kinda worried about Egon as well." Peter said.

"Yeah." Winston said, "He's never acted like that before. Not to mention he's been a little distant lately."

"How long has this been going on?" Dana asked.

"Since the fire." Kylie said, "And it seems to be getting worse."

"Yeah, Egon hasn't been eating or sleeping." Peter said.

"Peter, do you think you know what's going on?" Dana asked.

"Dana, I may have been friends with Egon for over 20 years, but I don't know. He's kinda of...complicated. There is still a little bit about him that I don't know." Peter said.

"Plus, at the hospital on the day Ray was admitted, Egon passed out." said Jenny, spooning her some more salad.

"Really?" asked Dana with a surprised look.

"Yeah." Janine said, "We went to the room to see Ray for a minute, and all of a sudden, Egon just...collapsed. He passed out from shock."

"Yeah." Winston said, "And the reasons for Egon's behavior, it's either he's just shook up, or it's something else."

And he hasn't said anything to ya'll?" Dana said.

"Of course not." Peter replied, "Earlier today, I made a small joke about his appearance, and he snapped at me."

"Yeah, but with all that's been going on, you should know better than going around and messing with him, Pete." Winston said as he got up to put his plate in the sink.

"Don't worry." Dana said, "Egon will open soon. You just need to be patient with him. Anyone, I gotta get home."

"Thanks for dinner Dana." Jenny said as she helped put the leftovers in the fridge.

"You're welcome." Dana replied, "Anytime. And don't worry, Ray will wake up soon." she said as she gave Jenny a hug.

"I hope so." Jenny replied.

Dana then left, and Janine, Jenny, and Kylie all went home as well. Peter and Winston were trying to figure out what to do with Egon. But after what went on at dinner, they decided not to take the chances of Egon going ballistic on them. The two then showered and got ready for bed.

Meanwhile, Egon had come down from the roof and into the lab. He was beginning to get a headache and his chest was hurting a little as well. Egon wished it was all a dream. He wanted to wake up to find Ray home, uninjured, and ok. But unfortunately, it was no dream. He wanted to see Ray badly, but the courage he had was gone.

 _"I don't know how much longer I'll be able to hold this in. It's getting harder."_ Egon told himself. He then thought about his past. He remembered the day he met Peter and Ray. The truth was, it was the best day of his life and his first, real, happy memory.

All the incidents over the last 20 years played out in his mind, leading up to the building fire. Egon rubbed his head trying to hold back the emotions.

* * *

The next morning, Peter and Winston woke up and headed downstairs. Janine, Jenny, and Kylie had just arrived.

"Hey guys." Janine said.

"Hey." Peter said.

"Have y'all talked to Egon yet?" Kylie asked.

"No." Winston replied. "Considering what happened last night, we didn't want to risk him going ballistic."

"Ok, that's it." Peter said, "Janine, Winston, come on. Let's go have a talk with him. I've had enough of his behavior."

The two Ghostbusters and Janine then headed upstairs to get answers. Surprisingly, the answer they'll get is not the one they expected.

To be continued...


	6. It's All My Fault

Chapter 6-It's All My Fault

Peter, Winston, and Janine headed up to the lab. They wanted to know why Egon was acting the way he had been. Peter then barged the door open, and Egon was sitting at his desk.

"We need to talk." Peter said sternly.

"Good morning Peter." Egon said sarcastically, "What do you want?"

"Don't do that!" Peter snapped, "I've got every right to come up and yell at you for your behavior, which I'm tired of!"

"Yeah man." Winston said, "You've been snapping at us for the past two days, and you yelled at us last night!"

"Plus, we've been going to the hospital every day, hoping and praying that Ray wakes up, while you don't seem to give a damn!" Peter yelled.

"You guys really don't think I want Ray to wake up too?" Egon asked, "Or are you two complete idiots?!" he exclaimed.

Peter and Winston were hurt by the remark, but they kept speaking.

"See? You're snapping at us and calling us idiots!" Peter exclaimed.

"Because you are!" Egon yelled, "You, Peter Venkman, are the biggest, nosiest, bossiest person I have ever met! You too Winston!"

Peter and Winston were hurt by the remarks Egon was throwing at them. "We've had enough of this!" Winston exclaimed, "You are coming with us to the hospital to see Ray, whether you like it or not!"

"No." Egon said coldly, "I'm not going anywhere with a bunch of idiots and I'm not going to the hospital."

"You give us one good reason why." Peter demanded.

"BECAUSE IT'S MY FAULT THIS HAPPENED TO RAY!" Egon yelled. He was left in shock. He had never yelled like that before.

Peter, Winston, and Janine were in shock. They had gotten an answer, but it was one that they had not expected.

"Egon, what do you mean it was you're fault?" Janine asked.

"It's my fault Ray got hurt!" Egon confessed, "If I hadn't been so clumsy and stupid and had just watched where I was going, Ray wouldn't be in this mess. Plus, when Ray got stuck and told me to go, I ran out like a coward instead of rescuing him." Egon's eyes began to tear up as he continued speaking. "Ray's the one who saved my life, and that's how I reward him: in a coma with burns. I'm the one who should've been burned, but I'm not. Ray's paying for my carelessness. I'm a danger to this team."

Egon couldn't hold in his emotions any longer. He fell to his knees as he let out a sob. Tears began running down his face, but he didn't care. He didn't care about anything as he let out the emotions he had been holding in.

Peter, Winston, and Janine were shocked. They couldn't believe that Egon blamed himself, and they were shocked that he was crying. Peter and Winston immediately regretted yelling at him. It had probably made him feel worse.

Peter knelt down beside Egon and gently rubbed his shoulder. "Egon, it is so not your fault."

"Yeah man." Winston said as he got down next to his emotionally hurt friend, "If Ray hadn't gone back and saved you, you would've burned to death. You could've died."

"I probably should've." Egon said in between sobs, "I'm a danger to the team."

"No, you're not." Janine said as she knelt beside him, "Besides, the building was being renovated. There was stuff everywhere. I doubt you would've gotten out without getting stuck."

"But I still should've helped free Ray!" Egon said, "After the way he freed me, I should've helped free him. But instead, I ran like a coward. Maybe my father was right."

"Right about what?" Peter asked.

"Maybe...I am a mistake after all." Egon said, still shedding tears.

"Oh Egon, no!" Winston exclaimed as he held Egon in a tight hug, "You are so not a mistake! You're one of the nicest, smartest, bravest people I have ever met in my life."

"Yeah, if it hadn't been for you, I would've never gotten through college." Peter said.

"Yeah, but still." Egon said, "I still hurt Ray, and I yelled at you guys."

"Because you were just overcome with emotion and you tried holding them back." Winston said, "And we forgive you. But holding back your emotions is not always the best thing to do."

"Maybe." Egon said with tears still running down his face, "I want to see Ray so badly, but I don't have the courage to."

"Ohhh, is that another reason why haven't been wanting to come?" Janine asked.

Egon nodded. Janine got some tissues for him to wipe off his face. The emotionally hurt Ghostbuster was beginning to calm down, but tears were still running down his face.

"You feel better?" Peter asked as he rubbed the back of Egon's head.

"A little." Egon replied sniffling a little. "Can...can I try to see Ray?"

"Of course." Winston replied, "Come on, get cleaned up and we'll go."

Egon got cleaned up and changed clothes. The three Ghostbusters, Janine, Jenny, and Kylie then all headed to the hospital. There Peter sat with Ray first, then Winston, the Jenny, then Janine, then Kylie. Finally, it was Egon's turn.

"Are you ready?" Winston asked.

"I guess." Egon replied.

"If it gets too much, you don't have to." Peter said.

Egon then took in a deep breath, and headed down to Ray's room for the first time since the day Ray had been admitted.

To be continued...


	7. Forgiveness

Chapter 7-Forgiveness

Egon stepped through the doorway into Ray's room. Ray was now on a nasal tube, which calmed Egon down a bit, but he still had burns on his arms and one in his abdomen. Egon fought back the feeling to run out. He wanted to, but he didn't. He took a deep breath.

"Hey Ray." Egon said as he stood beside the bed, "You've probably noticed I haven't been here in the past couple of days. And it's because I haven't been a very good friend."

Egon felt his legs get shaky, and he knelt beside the bed. "The truth is...it's my fault you got hurt in the first place." he said as his eyes began tearing up again, "If I hadn't been so clumsy and stupid and had just watched where I was going, you wouldn't be in this mess. I'm the one who should be laying in the bed, not you Ray, but I'm not. And I'm sorry. I really am sorry."

Tears began running down Egon's face again. He thought he had let it all out, but apparently not. "Please wake up, Ray. Please. I'm really sorry. Go ahead and disown me because I deserve it." Egon place his head on the bed and let out a sob. Pain from being disowned and thrown out by his family made him cry even more. His life had been filled with so much pain.

But Egon didn't notice that Ray's eyes were flickering. Ray opened his eyes completely, and he was shocked to find Egon crying. He had apparently heard everything and felt bad. With enough strength, Ray lifted his hand and rubbed the back of Egon's head.

"Let it out." Ray said in a groggy voice, "I don't like seeing my best friend cry."

Egon lifted his head with tears still running down his face. "Ray?"

"Hey." Ray said slightly smiling.

"You're awake." Egon said with a small smile.

"Yeah. What happened?" Ray asked, "Last thing I remember was breaking free of those boards and hearing an explosion. I found my way out, and that's the last thing I remember."

"You collapsed and they brought you here." Egon replied.

"Oh. Others ok?" Ray asked.

"Yeah they're fine." Egon said, "I think they'll be by in a little while."

* * *

After a while, the guys and the women all came by Ray's room to see if he and Egon were ok. As they walked in the room, they saw that Ray was awake and talking with Egon.

"Ray! You're awake!" Peter exclaimed as he hugged him.

"Yes, I am. Now let me go." Ray said trying to push Peter off.

"Sorry." Peter said as he let go of Ray.

"Egon, why didn't you tell us?" Jenny asked as she kissed Ray on the lips.

"We thought we'd make it a surprise." Egon said glancing at Ray.

"Yeah, who doesn't like surprises?" Ray said with a smile.

"Glad to see you're awake." Janine said.

"Me too." Kylie said.

Egon hung his head and said, "Ray, the truth is...it's my fault you ended up in this mess. If I hadn't been clumsy and stupid and watched where I was going, you wouldn't be here. And when you told me to go, I ran like a coward. And I had said some hurtful remarks to Peter and Winston. The truth is...I'm a danger to the team. I almost killed you. And I'm really sorry. Go ahead and disown me cause I deserve it."

"Oh Egon, it was so not your fault." Ray said, "I should've watched where I was going too. And you are not a danger. And I am never, EVER, disowning you. You're my best friend."

"Thanks." Egon said.

"Come on, I don't get a hug from my BFF?" Ray asked as he opened his eyes.

"Of course, you do." Egon said as he hugged Ray.

* * *

A few days later, Ray was released from the hospital. A small party was held at the firehall. Even Oscar attended. The guys were still surprised at how much he'd grown, considering the last time they saw him, he was still a baby.

"Hey, thanks for all this guys." Ray said.

"You're welcome." Winston said. "Anytime."

"Hey guys." Egon said, "There's something I forgot to mention."

"What?" Peter asked.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry for the way I had been acting, and I'm sorry for snapping and saying mean comments." said Egon, "I was just really mad at myself, and I decided to take my anger out on the first people I could think of. Which was you guys. I'm sorry."

"It's ok Spengs." Peter said, "We know you didn't mean it. And we shouldn't have gotten up in your business."

"You better have." Egon said with a look, "Cause you can be pretty nosy."

"He's actually kinda right, Peter." Janine said, "You can, Dr. Nosy."

Everyone laughed, except for Peter, who didn't mind the remark. Throughout the rest of the party, Egon couldn't help but wonder why he still felt a little bit of guilt. But he decided to shake it off. The guys spent the rest of the evening in each other's company.

Unfortunately, soon, a problem would arise, and the others will realize that there's more to the situation than meets the eye...

The End.


End file.
